G-Fafif

Following Gary Carter's passing, I received a note from someone I knew in high school -- someone with whom I got along not at all -- who had stumbled on what I wrote. He told me he had no idea I was a Mets fan like he was. I had no idea he was a Mets fan either. If anything, I recall him being a bandwagon MFY type, which was pretty much everybody in those days. Go figure, I guess.

Sadly, baseball must wait for a January day more than five years in the future to re-establish its Valhalla by its proper name, the Hall of Rivera. Until then, this voter will reserve judgment on any players who are not The Great Mariano, understanding that to clutter Cooperstown with a lesser strain of immortal is to insult Rivera and all He stands for. In the meantime, my 2014 ballot will include just one check mark, next to the name Mike Mussina. No, Moose isn't Mo, but the Hall of Rivera should greet its namesake with at least a few familiar faces. Rivera saved many games for his teammate Mussina. He also saved baseball...which, when you get right down to it, was Mariano Rivera's ultimate teammate.

Mets fan (yours truly) and football Giants fan scratch at the surface of why we root and such as we grow old and older. We do, I suppose, implicitly invite comment when don we now our team apparel, yet as I go along, I find myself turning increasingly insular about my fandom. My favorite topic of discussion may be the Mets, but only if I'm talking to those who are enmeshed in the tribe. I don't have much patience for the patronizing, "So ... how are your Mets doing?" inquiries a fan inevitably receives in the world at large, because if you're going to ask, I'm going to tell you. And if you're not going to listen, I'm not going to want to deal with the likes of you in any situation. I might have to, but I won't like it.

Landon Powell not so internal anymore.

1. Piazza 2.-10. Window dressing

Eight wore the Mets uniform, though none quite like Mike. Moises Alou Jeff Bagwell Armando Benitez Craig Biggio Barry Bonds Sean Casey Roger Clemens Ray Durham Eric Gagne T#m Gl@v!ne Luis Gonzalez Jacque Jones Todd Jones Jeff Kent Paul Lo Duca Greg Maddux Edgar Martinez Don Mattingly Fred McGriff Mark McGwire Jack Morris Mike Mussina Hideo Nomo Rafael Palmeiro Mike Piazza Tim Raines Kenny Rogers Curt Schilling Richie Sexson Lee Smith J.T. Snow Sammy Sosa Frank Thomas Mike Timlin Alan Trammell Larry Walker Let the unnecessarily overheated discourse begin!

On Raising Hope last Friday (a series Sandy Alderson clearly wants nothing to do with), a character who is making a viral video in which different kinds of fruit represent different famous athletes needs to come up with the name of a baseball player that he can use to turn into a Strawberry-related pun...and after thinking long and hard about it lands on "Strawberry Bonds".

Other memory of Stearns in 2000 postseason, besides The Monster (a beautiful coinage, I thought), was not of his doing. In the bitchiness that ensued from Piazza-Clemens II, Michael Kay, who was doing a postgame shows on MSG with Howie Rose, insisted in his meatheaded way that the Mets needed to fight once the bat fragment was thrown. And since Piazza was too valuable to get himself ejected, "John Stearns should've taken a swing at Clemens." Which is always good advice for anybody.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: G-Fafif wrote: From 1975 through 2003, the Mets had either John Stearns or Howard Johnson. The 2014 Mariners will have them both, Dude coaching third, HoJo instructing the hitters. And Chris Woodward to tutor the infielders. Wow. Both Hojo and Stoins are total meatheads. Who's Seattle manager's anywhoo? What maketh Stearns meathead material? Reliable sources indicate a most solid citizen. (HoJo, OTOH, loves him some Tea Party and such.)

How soon was the Jaff Era over?

In recent news, Joe Smith is an Angel.

From 1975 through 2003, the Mets had either John Stearns or Howard Johnson. The 2014 Mariners will have them both, Dude coaching third, HoJo instructing the hitters. And Chris Woodward to tutor the infielders.

Holy Hanukkah Bush. Niese actually wasn't bad. OTOH, kind of reassuring to discover there's something Matt Harvey isn't superb at. Besides staying healthy, I mean.

Career-high 32 home runs (same as Ike's) in 2007.

Mets are reportedly to sign the other Chris Young who will now be referred to as the Chris Young. Or as Nelson, should Casey Stengel want him.

I wonder when Phillies fans knew Mike Schmidt was their greatest, Cubs fans were sure Ernie Banks was their greatest, Reds fan swore nobody was greater in their uniform than Johnny Bench. There was no precedent for Seaver to shatter. I can't imagine anybody prior to 1967 really mulled "who's the greatest Met ever?" By 1969, the answer was evident and it's never been remotely challenged. So for a franchise like those mentioned above, the kind that's been around a while, when do those who care about such things feel certain there's been a change at the top? Harvey has too limited a resume to even contemplate him right now, I believe. Wright could put up impressive numbers over his (hopefully) one-team career here and might go down as one of the best third basemen of his era...but if we were making a case for him over Seaver, we'd be almost forcing the issue, like "look at how many team records he holds; look where he ranks at his position." Rather, I think it's one of those things where we'll know when we know -- and that we'll never know because I can't imagine anybody but Tom Seaver as the Greatest met of All-Time. But if we ever do get somebody at that level who sustains it and brings the Mets the success he brought them, we'll be a lucky bunch of fans. Imagine in one lifetime: a Seaver and somebody even greater?

Jason Vargas, who started the eventual Mets Classic of May 17, 2007 (he's the one who put the Mets in the hole that required a thrilling five in the ninth) just got paid big-time by the Royals: 4 years, $32 Extra Large. 1988 second-half situational lefty Bob McClure, who went unused in the ensuing NLCS, is now the Phillies' pitching coach, reuniting with Roger McDowell in the sense that they were teammates 25 years ago and hold the same job in the same division today.

Contract reportedly stipulates that if he's not pitching against the Mets and Recker's catching, he can watch the game from directly behind home plate. It's standard for every former Met pitcher since 2013.

Wright Ced Fred Too sexy for this thread?

I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you. I was just drawing Keith Hernandez 1983 unforeseen availability parallels in my head.

Casey had this all figured out nearly 52 years ago, according to Lindsey Nelson in Backstage At The Mets. Coming north from St. Pete the first year, Casey was asked by a Baltimore writer for his lineup for an exhibition game against the Orioles. The newspaperman had a Met roster to check off the names. �At first base, Hodges,� Casey said. �At second, Canoe. At short�� �Wait a minute, Casey,� the writer said. �Who at second?� �Canoe, Canoe,� Casey said impatiently. �And at short�� �I don�t find any Canoe,� the writer said. �Look, I�ll show you,� said Casey. He took the writer�s roster and pointed to the name, Rod Kanehl. To Casey, he was Canoe then and forever.

[youtube:1coc1ibf]7rEGl6n2cvA[/youtube:1coc1ibf] Where it began...

The hip-hop impresario joined Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, general manager Sandy Alderson and assistant general manager John Ricco for dinner at a posh Manhattan hotel to discuss Cano�s free agency, two sources familiar with the situation told The Post. This is why tabloids are tabloids. Wouldn't have occurred to me to specify whether the hotel was posh, ritzy or hoity-toity. I would've assumed it wasn't a Days Inn. But now, thanks to that description, I'm at full froth!

Jason and I and some other reasonably familiar faces recall being at Shea on June 30, 2000 for SNY.